A 10-month-old infant has an enlarging head circumference and delayed overall development. Her CSF pressure is elevated, and she has a bulging anterior fontanelle (fontanelles are the as yet unossified fibrous membranes connecting skull bones in infants). Based on these findings, answer the following questions: a. What are the possible cause(s) of an enlarged head? b. Which tests might be helpful in obtaining information about this infant's problem? c. Assuming the tests conducted showed the cerebral aqueduct to be constricted, which ventricles or CSF-containing areas would you expect to be enlarged? Which would likely not be visible? Respond to the same questions based on a finding of obstructed arachnoid granulations.

Video transcript

Hello, everyone and welcome to today's video. So when celebra spinal fluid is produced faster than it drains, it builds up in the ventricles resulting in which of the following conditions. So remember that we're looking for the condition that is going to be resulting from celebra spinal fluid building up in the ventricles. Now let's go over each of our answer choices, analyzing each condition so that we may solve the question first, we have a which is meningitis. Now, meningitis is the inflammation or the inflammation of the meninges. This does not relate to celebra spinal fluid. So we're going to cancel this out. Then we're going to have B which is encephalitis. Now, this is going to be brain inflammation. However, it is not going to be resulting from a build up in celebra spinal fluid. So we're going to cancel it out. Then we have D which is glioma. Now, glioma is a growth of cells that starts in the brain or the spinal cord. This is not related to cerebral spinal fluid. So we're going to cancel it out and these all lies with C which is hydrocephalus. Now, hydrocephalus is going to be a condition that is going to be resulting from increased pressure on the brain tissues causing brain damage as a result of a build up of celeb spinal fluid. So this is going to make C hydrocephalus the final answer to our question. I really hope this helped you and I hope to see you on the next one.